The Cow ,, In Lucknow

The Dying Indian Woman In Lucknow

Hindu And Muslim Two Sides Of The Same Coin Called India

I start my new series Moharam Ashura in Lucknow 2015 ,, with this image of Hindu Muslim amity ,, After I cut my head with two daggers and start my walk from Nakhas the starting point of the Ashura juloos in Lucknow close to my in laws Abbas and Wasim Qazilbash s house . ..till Karbala Talkatora a distance of 8 km barfeet and in the hot blazing sun.. all the processionists including women children all are barefeet ,
.
There are no vehicles on this road from Nakhas to Talkatora you go walking and can come back walking ,, or take a detour from another road to reach Nakhas by ricksha.
When I have walked quite some distance and reach this iconic Hanuman Temple , the head priest of this temple waits for me , he blesses me and with his hand on his chest pays respect to the Azadars of Imam Hussain.. he gives me water and we hardly have time to talk.. he meets me year after year only during Ashura or Chehlum..and we become one in our Indianness that goes beyond our diverse religiosity ,, caste or creed .
After my kama matam this is the most memorable part of shooting and taking part in Moharam Ashura 2015 in Lucknow .
At Talkatora I shot the burial of the Tazias..and the dirge at the cemetery when they are laid to rest on Ashura day ,,this time I shot a lot of videos ..
This is a story board of my Moharam trip from CST Mumbai till Charbagh , it begins from my in laws house at Nakhas i and includes 9 Moharam Ashura and 11 Moharam and my visit to British Residency ,,a lot of street shots and street videos ..
I returned last night ,, from Lucknow ...this is a long series ,, of my visit to my birthplace Lucknow ,, but I have lived all my life in Mumbai Colaba and than Bandra ,,60 years of Mumbai and honestly there is not much love left for Lucknow ,, this is the hometown of my wife and one of my daughter in laws ..
Lucknow ,, the old part of Lucknow Pata Nala where my forefathers lived my maternal grandfather Daroga Nabban Sab descendant of poet Mir Anis ,,has not changed much.. nothing remains just a few faded dying memories ,, just that my parents were born in Lucknow and I was born in Lucknow too ,,,accidental cosmic fate ,, my parents lie buried in Mumbai soil ,
..umr-e-daraaz maang kar laaye they chaar din
do arzoo mein kaT gaye do intezaar mein
kitnaa hai bad_naseeb "Zafar" dafn key liye
do gaz zamin bhi na mili kuu-e-yaar mein

Marziya Shakir Shoots A Her Malang Grandpa And The Naga Sadhu

At first when I gave Marziya my camera to shoot us she was a bit reluctant , but than I gestured it was OK.. and she took two shots ,,and she has come a long way ..now she is completely confident and the she understands the camera ,,,
From the second day of her birth at Holy Family Hospital , she was blessed by my camera and I literally forced the camera on her childs soul ..she was my first granddaughter , daughter of my eldest son Asif and when she came home from the hospital I began shooting her prolifically , I wanted to shoot her smile her yawn and I never tired , she would converse with me silently through the third eye of Shiva.. metaphorically and mystically and the Naga Sadhus have been there ,, in my life without her knowledge .
I had my workspace at 29 Road Bandra , and the day Marziya was born I was at my shop there was some complication , her neck was stuck in the umbilical cord ,,I was really worried brooding , my wife my mother in law were at the hospital ,, as I was thinking about her I had not seen her, a few Naga Sadhus walked into my shop, my shop was famous for Sadhus beggars and the hijras who came , because I gave them what I could ,,
When the Naga Sadhus looked at my sad face I was about to tell them about my granddaughter .. these are outstation Naga Sadhus ,, I was not even a Malang those days ,, He congratulated me said Shiva has put the serpent round your childs neck.. and I was shocked beyond words , they said everything will be fine ,,
When my Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj came home I dont think Marziya was born ..he came to my house in 2004 ,,but later he always inquired about her without having seen her ,, I mean to the sceptical this will sound pure bullshit ,, but this was the first time in Marziyas life she was meeting a Naga Sadhu ,,
In the cab she looked at me in wonderment and said Dada you have so many different types of friends ,,I told her you must respect all of them.. I never take Marziya out but this was while returning from a visit to my dear friend Mansoor Showghi Yezdi sabs Irani restaurant .
And perhaps this is the first time I have had no time to visit the Durga pandals or shoot them ,also the first time I did not take Nerjis to shoot the Durga worksops in Bandra or the Bandra Durga Pandals,, and I dont think I will be able to shoot the Durga Visarjan I am bogged with work and with my wife away in Karbala I am helpless as she helped me out in my work.
But I am happy that Marziya Shakir learnt photography the way I would have wanted her to learn photography , ordinarily not in the way kids learn photography , I taught her virtue pain through the camera I showed her the diversity of Faith she shot St Peter Church , Mount Mary , Hindu feasts and she absorbed the daily struggle of the beggars ,, and when she was 3 year old she began shooting the hijras that begged in my area ..
So in a way Marziya has come a long way ,
No she will never be part of a camera club
Her teachers are those eminent photographers that visit my house ,, and she calls Viola a Danish photographer her Guru..
I demystified the camera and the Art of Photography for my granddaughters , they are not intimidated by the Genie in the camera that I call Shivas Third Eye ,, and once you have this genie in your grasp photography is a Childs Play.
Yes Fuck F Stops

Cafe Irani Chai ..Shot By Marziya Shakir 7 Year Old

I took Marziya Shakir to my dear friend Dr Mansoor Showghi Yezdi iconic new Irani restaurant at Mahim near Canossa Convent , as Mansoor Bhai was not there his son Mohomed took care of us highly hospitable kind courteous like his Dad The Hindustani Chaiwala ,, Marziya had icecream I had Irani kava black tea and bun maska .
The specialty here is Kheema Brun exotic aromatic delicious Irani Biryani and other mouth watering dishes ,,
This is a great family restaurant , homily ambiance ,,nostalgic and memorable Mansoor Bhais mantra is Devo Atithi Bhava ,, Guest is God Food of the Loom Gift of the Lord ,,
Please visit this place as Mansoor Bhai needs your love support and encouragement ,,he by the grace of God wants to have Cafe Irani Chai in all the major cities and his friend Reza Kabul wants him to have one in LA too...Los Angeles and not Lavassa Lol

Beggar Poet

I
am a muslim
a hindu a christian
a jew he said
a mere thought
among the living
among the dead
i am a beggar poet
as the blood
like a rivulet flowed
from his head a face
within a face colored
red silently on the soul
of his poetry it spread
man can live without art
but not without culture
moving pictures born
from the stores he had read

Ear Cleaners of Bandra Talao